Fresh Fiction Blog | Victoria Roberts

I'd like to thank the folks at Fresh Fiction for having me today.

With my debut release of TEMPTATION IN A KILT, the first in the Bad Boys of the Highlands series, it made me think about what actually constitutes a "bad boy?" Why do some of us find ourselves continuously drawn to these men? The kind of men we love to hate.

Whether it's Damon Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries or Eric Northman from True Blood—wait; I see a vampire theme here, but I think you get the picture. You know the sarcastic I-don't-give-a-damn-what-anyone-thinks kind of man. These men capture our hearts even though we know they would probably trample them.

One scene in particular in TEMPTATION IN A KILT reminds me of this instance.

Rosalia reached out and clutched Ciaran's arm, immediately realizing her mistake. He felt like a rock underneath his tunic. She became aware of his strength and the warmth of his flesh. She lowered her gaze, but when she looked down, his kilt was parted and showed part of his muscular thigh. It was torture and it was getting so warm. Being carried away by her own response, she failed to notice he was still looking at her, waiting. She tingled as he spoke her name. Tenderly, his eyes melted into hers. She could not find her voice. She could barely breathe and she hungered from the memory of his mouth upon hers. What the hell was the matter with her?

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "Lass, your eyes show me what ye are clearly thinking. I suggest ye remove your hand from my arm and your eyes from my kilt."

I would be mortified if 1) I was caught staring at something I shouldn't and 2) the beastly man called me on it. Yet, there's something deliciously enticing about these bad boys. Is it because we hope there's some redeemable quality about them that we'd love to discover? Perhaps it's the thought of one woman winning the love of a rogue's heart that fascinates us.

This is one of my favorite scenes with my hero, Laird Ciaran MacGregor.

Ciaran broke the silence and spoke quietly. "She means naught to me."

A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away. "It doesnae matter—truly," she whispered.

He reached out and gently brushed her arms. When she closed her eyes to avoid his probing gaze, he raised her chin with his finger. He did not speak until she opened her eyes. "It matters to me," he said solemnly. He wiped her tears with his thumb. "I told her we were done when I returned to Glenorchy. She wasnae pleased. I didnae know she was there, Rosalia. She saw ye and Aisling and threw her body upon me."

She could not help but smirk. "Her verra bare body, my laird."

He paused for a moment, a spark of some indefinable emotion in his eyes. "I didnae notice, Rosalia. All I saw was ye," he whispered, slowly bending his head toward her.

And there's the redeeming moment we'd hoped for. Thank you for spending time with me today, and I hope you all find the bad boy of your dreams!

Victoria

victoriarobertsauthor.com

She's on her way to safety

It's a sign of Lady Rosalia Armstrong's desperation that she's seeking refuge in a place as rugged and challenging as the Scottish Highlands. She doesn't care about hardship and discomfort, if only she can become master of her own life. Laird Ciaran MacGregor, however, is completely beyond her control...

He redefines dangerous...

Ciaran MacGregor knows it's perilous to get embroiled with a fiery Lowland lass, especially one as headstrong as Rosalia. Having made a rash promise to escort her all the way to Glengarry, now he's stuck with her, even though she challenges his legendary prowess at every opportunity. When temptation reaches its peak, he'll be ready to show her who he really is...on and off the battlefield.

Praise for TEMPTATION IN A KILT:

"Roberts's debut features appealing characters and an interesting background of ancient clan feuds and spurned lovers." —Publishers Weekly

"Well written, full of intrigue and a sensual, believable romance, this book captivates the reader immediately" —RT Book Reviews/4 stars

About the Author:

Victoria Roberts writes sexy, Scottish historical romances about kilted heroes and warriors from the past. An avid lover of all things Scotland—simply, she writes what she loves to read. Prior to ever picking up a single romance novel, she penned her first young-adult novella (never published) at sixteen years old. Who knew her leather studded motorcycle hero would trade in his ride and emerge as a kilt donning Highlander wielding a broadsword? Victoria lives in western Pennsylvania with her husband of nineteen years and their two beautiful children—not to mention one spoiled dog. When she is not plotting her next Scottish romp, she enjoys reading, nature and antiques.

Comments

I married to bad boys and ended up with two divorces---but I still like to read about them.
(Sue Farrell 10:42am September 8, 2012)

Ouch, Sue. It's probably safer to read about them. ;-)
(Victoria Roberts 11:02am September 8, 2012)

But the kilt draws you in...
Love to read about them.
(Mary Hay 11:04am September 8, 2012)

Is it the kilt, Mary, or wondering what lies beneath? I think it's both. ;-)
(Victoria Roberts 11:12am September 8, 2012)

I like reading about bad boys and the women that can change them. But in real life they don't change.
(Pam Howell 11:14am September 8, 2012)

No kidding, Pam. I did say that I write Scottish historical "fiction" romance. *sigh* It's fun to dream though.
(Victoria Roberts 11:16am September 8, 2012)

My favorite quote was the line with Rosalia opinion that she "doesn't care about hardship and discomfort, if only she can become master of her own life."

Blame it on being a teenager in the 1960's but that has always been my own "motto". My husband of 42 years says I feel that way because I'm stubborn but I think that it's because I've always wanted to be able to make my own decisions in life.

I can only begin the imagine the restrictions put on someone like Rosalia! A headstrong lass likeher needs a hero who will be strong enough to see the real person within and a hero like Ciaran sounds ightsflike a perfect hero who is able to love as well as he protects those he loves!
(Jeanne Miro 11:29am September 8, 2012)

I love reading about the bad boys. They make for a good story line.
(Cynthia St. Germain 11:34am September 8, 2012)

Jeanne, Rosalia is definitely a fiery lass. Sometimes I think she gives Ciaran a run for his money! Thanks for stopping by.
(Victoria Roberts 11:40am September 8, 2012)

I have never really met any bad boys so I guess I can only fantasize about them.
So I absolutely love reading books on bad boys. And I love anything Irish!!
(Winnie Lim 11:41am September 8, 2012)

Kathy, the bad boys are so verra good!
(Victoria Roberts 11:41am September 8, 2012)

Cynthia, the bad boys definitely provide us with much entertainment.
(Victoria Roberts 11:42am September 8, 2012)

Winnie, you've never met a bad boy? Not even the ones your mother warned you about?
(Victoria Roberts 11:43am September 8, 2012)

Always wanted a bad boy- never got one.......you know- the hot sweaty dirty nasty sexy bad boy. Love bad boys in my books.
(Sheila Mulholland 11:56am September 8, 2012)

They are great fun to read about, Rita.

Hi Sheila! Great to see you here. We all love our bad boys. ;-)
(Victoria Roberts 12:03pm September 8, 2012)

Hi Carey. They are fun to read about.
(Victoria Roberts 12:23pm September 8, 2012)

i like to read about the Bad Boys but really wouldn't want to be married to one.
(Anna Speed 12:54pm September 8, 2012)

This sounds like a fun, bad boy read.
rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com
(Renee Grandinetti 1:21pm September 8, 2012)

My hubby was a bad boy when I met him. Talk dark and extremely
handsome! He is still my bad boy although he has settled down! I love ti
read about them too.
(Kim Cornwell 1:22pm September 8, 2012)

I love reading about Scottish bad boys. There is something exciting about a bad boy highlander. Love the accent.
(Emily Bowes 1:22pm September 8, 2012)

I was never into bad boys. I guess they didn't really impress me with their big ambitions and arrogant ways. Sounds like a good read.
(Cheryl English 1:35pm September 8, 2012)

I would so love to win this book!!
(Charlotte Zimmerman 1:48pm September 8, 2012)

Thanks, Renee. I hope you enjoy my Bad Boys.
(Victoria Roberts 1:48pm September 8, 2012)

Hi Kim! My husband was a bad boy, too. Now that bad boy is asleep on the couch every night at 8p.m. ;-)
(Victoria Roberts 1:49pm September 8, 2012)

Emily, the Scottish brogue is verra captivating...
(Victoria Roberts 1:50pm September 8, 2012)

Thanks, Cheryl and Charlette. Thanks so much for stopping by. Good luck!
(Victoria Roberts 1:51pm September 8, 2012)

Oooh this book sounds wonderful! Love bad boys!
(Colleen Conklin 1:54pm September 8, 2012)

This looks like a great book and I look forward to reading it. I hope you have a great day.
(Chelsea Knestrick 1:57pm September 8, 2012)

I think we enjoy the bad boys cause it's so much sweeter when
they fall in love & admit it.
(Diane Sallans 1:58pm September 8, 2012)

After taking a couple of peeks at the cover of your latest book, it was hard to write a comment!! ;-) This would be the first Scottish Romance for me to read, but after looking at the reviews, I suppose it would be now or never for me to get my feet wet!! A sexy man on the cover, a hot cup of tea, and I'm all set to usher the Fall in up North!! It sounds like a good read, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
(Peggy Roberson 2:00pm September 8, 2012)

Realy enjoyed your post .Temptation In A Kilt sounds like an amazing read I loved the blurb for this book .Love a hero in a kilt. Highlanders are my favorites to read .Thank you for sharing with us and for this chance to win .Have a fantastic day.
(Wanda Flanagan 2:04pm September 8, 2012)

Peggy, take a leap of faith. A couple of my very "male" friends read the book and never read a single romance. They LOVED it, and apologized to me for being such idiots. ;-)
(Victoria Roberts 2:08pm September 8, 2012)

Thank you, Wanda. Thanks for stopping by.
(Victoria Roberts 2:09pm September 8, 2012)

Diane, Chelsea and Colleen, making these Bad Boys were a lot of fun.
(Victoria Roberts 2:10pm September 8, 2012)

Kilts and misbehavior by men, what's wrong with this picture? Or more likely what's right and intriguing?
(Alyson Widen 2:14pm September 8, 2012)

Lots of bad boys aren't really bad--just portray that image to act tough and in charge, when deep down they can be just the opposite. When I was young (around 7th grade), I used to get picked on by this 9th grade tough boy, named Skinner, when I played at the school playground across the street from my house. His sister was always with him and she was the instigator. They always told me to get off their playground or they'd beat me up! It came back to burn this leather jacket-wearing tough boy late one night, when he came into our backyard to steal both my sister's and my Schwinn bikes. My mom said to us she could see someone outside taking our bikes. My sister and I ran outside to catch the thief! When we discovered it was Skinner without his sister, he turned into a baby when we yelled at him. Then we gave him a couple punches and told him never ever to try to steal from us! This scared him so much, he never teased and taunted me again, after he found out how tough we were!!
Hope I'm not babbling and getting off track from your book.
I love the cover, and your book sounds like one I'd have fun reading and find captivating. I'd could enjoy my bad boy more in a book than in real life! Thanks!
(Linda Luinstra 2:41pm September 8, 2012)

I married a former bad boy and we had thirty years together before he died suddenly at 56. I often told him if I'd known him in high school, I'd have had nothing to do with him!
(Theresa Hurley 2:43pm September 8, 2012)

I LOVE BAD BOYS ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IN A KILT ITS HOT. LOVE
TO WIN AND READ THIS BOOK IT SOUNDS FANTASTIC.
(Shelly Caggiano 2:49pm September 8, 2012)

Bad boys can be either bad or good. It all depends on who they are underneath all that swagger and bravado!

This sounds like a great book. Going on my TBB list right away!

Later,

Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 3:51pm September 8, 2012)

I like to be around bad boys they are so much fun...and this book sounds so really good...and your a new author for me to thats so exciting for I like to read books that I normallly wouldn't get but if i don't win,I'll go out and make sure to find your book-i know a guy that wears a kilt and its so awesome...and is Irish accent is so adorable and we makes fun of the way I talk..alittle southern accent which i don't think i have since i was born and spent half my life in chicago...anyways, gonna look for your book-hope I'm picked...
(Carole Fiore 3:55pm September 8, 2012)

Oooh! Do I detect a hint of naughty in Rosalia? Ciaran may
be a bad boy, but it sounds like he's met his match with a bit
of naughty in Rosalia! This sounds like a fantastic read! I
can't wait!
(Amy Rogers 4:09pm September 8, 2012)

It's the adrenaline rush you get with a "Bad Boy" that attracts. The excitement and the element of danger. I married one, had two wonderful, beautiful, kids by him, then divorced. I fell in love with him when I was 16 and it took ten years of madness to finally get out. I'm not saying that some bad boys won't reform. I like to think we have reformed rakes here in America too, LOL!
(Leah Weller 4:16pm September 8, 2012)

There's something about the bad boy that only the right woman can redeem. Of course, when he's Scottish (and in a kilt), that only makes it better!
(Janie McGaugh 4:49pm September 8, 2012)

Lo lvoe to read about the bad boys...and this sounds like a great book to read!!! Count me in!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 6:05pm September 8, 2012)

I don't know what it is, but I looooove stories set in
Scotland. Maybe it is the kilt.
(Michelle Whitwam 6:13pm September 8, 2012)

"My what huge hard muscles you have"
"All the more for you to hold onto as I use them to flip,
lift, and turn you in the most tempting ways"
"My how your kilt parts in the most seductive ways when you
move"

A strong willed damsel in distress. A hard body bad-boy
highland warrior.
"All the better to give you a glimpse of what you can look
forward to, my dear"
"My what a deep voice and captivating accent you have."
"All the more to take you over the edge when you make me use
it to call out your name"

A strong willed damsel in distress. A hard body, bad-boy
highland warrior. Your TEMPTATION IN A KILT sounds
delicious. I kept imagining Ciaran's voice as I read your
above excerpts. Think Sean Connery, Henry Ian Cusick, Ray
Park, Ewan Mcgregor, Gerard Butler, and ...*swoon*
(Kamla Layne 6:28pm September 8, 2012)

I love reading about bad boys being tamed by a good woman, but It never works out that way in real life. Its the fantasy I love to read about.
(Carol Woodruff 7:18pm September 8, 2012)

there's just something about a man in a Kilt. I don't read as much historical as I used to but I still love anything to do with mid-evil Scotland, England, & Ireland. Thank you for the opportunity to enter your contest. God bless and have a wonderful weekend
(Pat Moore 7:32pm September 8, 2012)

Bad boys are always in fashion. The more the merrier, at least for dreams and fantasies..
(Holly Vanderhule 8:04pm September 8, 2012)

And just how is a girl supposed to keep her eyes from HIS kilt? Really! Thanks for the giveaway!
(Jennifer Beyer 8:52pm September 8, 2012)

Bad boys make for delicious reading. Not great at all in real life.
(Mary Preston 10:31pm September 8, 2012)

I love reading about bad boys. There's just something about them that gets my motor running. LoL
(Kristin Bingham 11:20pm September 8, 2012)

I love the bad boys with redeeming moments - makes them human.
(Barbara Hanson 5:29am September 9, 2012)

My husband is Scottish but doesn't wear a kilt, he says you have to have the legs for it. So I will just have to keep reading your books to top up on kilts!
(Clare O'Beara 6:44am September 9, 2012)

Bad boys can come in a range of "naughtiness"...it's that they don't (or don't always) fit/follow the whole being proper and meeting expectations as they are being true to who they are. Sort of a declaration of their alpha/manliness.
(p c 12:07pm September 10, 2012)

I love my bad boys, they are a fav. to read about!
(Jolene Allcock 1:14pm September 10, 2012)

I think having a bad boy in my life is a way of rebelling against my parents and friends that I can be independent. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take that first step.
(Kai Wong 10:20pm September 10, 2012)

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